Tamika Catchings Is Ready for Her Farewell Tour

By The Associated Press

May 11, 2016

INDIANAPOLIS — Tamika Catchings relishes every moment she has left on the court.

At her final W.N.B.A. preseason game, her hands got inexplicably clammy. At her final media day, she playfully jumped into photos with teammates and answered every question. Catchings, the Indiana Fever’s longtime franchise player, still is not sure how she will feel during her final season opener Saturday against Dallas, or what her emotions might be when she plays her final home game later this year.

Each moment, however, will carve out a special place in her 15th and final W.N.B.A. chapter.

“I take photos of everything, so at the end there will probably be a photo album,” said Catchings, who is retiring after this season. “You know I always try to be in the moment, but it’s hard to be in the moment sometimes.”

For those who have followed her story over the past two decades, there have been plenty of moments to share.

They watched the daughter of the former N.B.A. player Harvey Catchings overcome a hearing impairment that affected both ears.

They cheered as the highly regarded freshman forward helped Tennessee complete a perfect season in 1997-98. They applauded when she became a three-time all-American and the 2000 national player of the year.

They groaned when her senior season was cut short by a knee injury and roared with approval when she returned to the court and began her professional career.

And they will be there to watch Catchings close out a career that included a Rookie of the Year Award, 10 All-Star appearances, five W.N.B.A. Defensive Player of the Year Awards, one most valuable player trophy, one W.N.B.A. title and M.V.P. honors in the 2012 finals.

But Catchings became much more than just a big-time player.

Her charity, the Catch the Stars Foundation, awards scholarships to Indianapolis-area high school student-athletes who have been active in community work. She has supported reading programs, provided school supplies for children and helped write two inspirational books detailing the twists and turns of her life.

As she evolved from shy rookie to gregarious veteran, Catchings became an ambassador for women’s basketball, a role model for her teammates and a friend to almost anyone she met.

“There have been a lot of great players in the W.N.B.A., but I’m not sure there’s been a more well-rounded player than Tamika,” Fever Coach Stephanie White said. “The way she lives her life, the way she’s embraced young people, is hard to put into words. I’ll put it this way: There are very few players you play against that you want to hug right after the game.”

Now Catchings has figured out how to put her own imprint on the traditional script of a farewell tour.

Instead of giving speeches or accepting gifts from teams, Catchings is presenting $2,000 grants to a local charity that promote fitness, literacy and mentoring in 12 cities. After those games, Catchings will sign autographs and auction off personal mementos, including the game shoes she wore each night. Tickets will cost $24, matching Catchings’s jersey number, with proceeds going to Catch the Stars.

The goal is to raise $100,000 so the charity can expand into each of the W.N.B.A.’s cities.

“She gives so much of herself to everyone else, that we want to give something back to her — to mimic that passion and give her a championship in her final season,” Fever center Natalie Achonwa said.

To do that, Catchings, 36, must embrace the new reality of her basketball world.

After passing the captain’s torch to Erlana Larkins and Briann January, she is likely to log fewer minutes in part because she decided to spend the W.N.B.A.’s midseason Olympic break chasing a fourth gold medal.

But as the league’s active leader in scoring (6,947), rebounds (3,153) and steals (1,012), she also understands that she will be the feature attraction everywhere she goes this season.

She could become the first Fever player whose jersey is retired, and a Hall of Fame induction may not be far off, either.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B16 of the New York edition with the headline: A W.N.B.A. Star Is Ready For Her Farewell Tour. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe